How to read the results of cervical HPV test

The most feared thing for women is suffering from gynecological diseases, because gynecological diseases are very harmful to women's bodies, especially in recent years, many women have lost their lives due to cervical cancer. Therefore, more women have begun to pay attention to the prevention and examination of gynecological diseases. Among them, cervical HPV examination is a common method of detecting gynecological diseases. However, due to our lack of understanding of it, we don’t know how to read the test results. Sometimes we don’t understand the professional terms used by doctors. Let’s learn about how to read the results of cervical HPV examination.

What are the common symptoms of HPV infection?

Unfortunately, HPV infection itself does not have any obvious symptoms, unless it causes cervical lesions with increased vaginal discharge or blood in the vaginal discharge, so screening and examination of cervical cancer is more important. Don't wait until symptoms develop to go to the hospital. Cervical cancer can be completely prevented and treated if we seize the opportunity to detect, diagnose and treat cervical lesions early, especially HPV infection.

HPV testing is only meaningful after the age of 30

Since time is life, is it better to do HPV testing as early as possible? HPV is mainly transmitted through sex, so during the sexually active stage, such as before the age of 30, HPV infection will increase, and after the age of 30, it will decrease. However, many HPV infections are "transient", that is, because young people have stronger resistance, they can "resist" these viruses on their own. If they are still infected with HPV after the age of 30, it may be a persistent HPV infection, which will increase the probability of developing cervical lesions or cervical cancer. Therefore, because HPV infection is common before the age of 30, we do not recommend HPV testing for women under the age of 30. But people should get tested for HPV after the age of 30 to achieve early prevention.

How to read the results of cervical HPV test

If the HPV test result is negative, that is, you are not infected with the HPV virus, which means that your risk of developing cervical cancer or high-grade lesions is almost zero before the next routine check-up; if the HPV test result is positive, then your risk of developing cervical cancer will increase significantly. However, it should be made clear that not all women infected with HPV will develop cervical cancer, and further examination is needed to determine whether the cervical cells have become cancerous or have precancerous lesions. If no lesions are found, the patient should be followed closely and any early lesions should be treated. Two misunderstandings must be corrected: not paying enough attention to HPV infection; and secondly, being too fearful, thinking that HPV infection means cervical cancer. In fact, it takes a long time for HPV infection to develop into cervical cancer, roughly more than 10 years, and only 2% to 3% of people infected with HPV will develop cervical cancer.

HPV tests are valid for 5 to 8 years

If the HPV infection is negative and the cytology test does not find any lesions, the doctor will tell the woman that she does not need to come for another check-up for the next 5 to 8 years. Because even if you are exposed to the HPV virus tonight, the pathogen will not be produced until 8 to 10 years later. Traditional Pap smear tests may miss diagnoses, so it is recommended to have them done once a year. This is also where HPV testing is more advanced than traditional cytology smear tests.

In addition to sexual intercourse, can HPV be transmitted through other means, such as contact with or use of toilet seats, towels, etc.

HPV virus infection is mainly through sexual intercourse. Because the virus is very fragile in the natural environment, it will not spread through the air. In addition, only when HPV is introduced into the reproductive tract can cancer be caused by HPV infection. Even if there are HPV viruses in the mouth and digestive tract, the viruses in these places are unlikely to cause precancerous lesions.

The above is an introduction to how to interpret the results of cervical HPV tests. I hope that after understanding it, it will be of some help to many women. It is also worth noting that cervical HPV infection is not limited to sexual intercourse. You must maintain good personal hygiene in your daily life, wear comfortable cotton underwear, and consult a doctor in time if you have abnormal leucorrhea.